Ain't Nothing But a Family Thing
by Soss
Summary: [Kibbs] Kate's acting mysterious. Can Gibbs coax it out of her? The morning after.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Title taken from West Wing. _

--- 1 ---

As the minute hand of the squadroom clock came dangerously close to 5 PM, the feverish milling of agents slowly became a vacant white noise. Kate held her thumbnail to her lips, absently rubbing the smooth, red nail polish across her bottom lip. She stared at her computer screen, watching the languid screensaver with no particular interest— but still she stared, intently focused on the wandering **4:55 PM** that moved aimlessly about the blackened screen.

She could hear Tony shuffling about the bullpen; he started his anxious _almost-time-to-go_ dance about twenty to five everyday they didn't have something or someone outrageous to conquer. Kate could always count on Tony to act like clockwork. Her lip twitched into a quick, sad smirk as she stared into her monitor, twirling a pen between her fingers. Her smile faded when she remembered her phone call at lunch. Her eyes dropped as her head fell slightly; her chin to her chest, her throat feeling treacherously tight as she watched the steady movement of the black pen in her hand.

"_Todd.." she chimed, answering her phone. She blinked several times before she looked up from the briefing on her desk to a vacant spot on Tony's wall. "What?—Are you sur— yeah, but it might not—" She looked down to her desk while she pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut as to stave away the pain that began to ache behind them. She whispered into the phone when Gibbs stepped off the elevator, "I don't understand…"_

Tony was perched on the edge of Gibbs' desk with his head strangely cocked in Kate's direction. His impeccable investigating genius led him to realize something was slightly amiss with his usually snarky partner, but she had continuously ignored his attempts at conversation. Or harassment. He was just about to voice his concern when Gibbs spoke:

"Was there something _specific_ that you wanted, Dinozzo?" came the subdued, throaty tone of annoyance, along with the unspoken warning of "Remove Ass from Desk." Tony cleared his throat and promptly stood solidly on the floor, then walked to the side of Gibbs' desk.

"Is she acting.. a little _weird_ to you?" Tony asked quietly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and nodding his head over to a semi-catatonic Kate.

Gibbs lifted his eyes to his other agent, watching her briefly under speculatively raised eyebrows. He looked back down to the file in his hands and flipped the page. "What's _weird_ to you.." Gibbs mumbled.

"She.. she's quiet. She hasn't eaten.. hasn't talked to me since lunch.." He whispered incredulously.

Gibbs looked to him and raised a skeptic eyebrow.

"Yeah ok…" Tony looked down, almost defeated in the fact that 'Kate not wanting to talk to him' wasn't exactly unusual. Tony suddenly perked up and smiled, pointing a finger of "a-ha!" into the air, "She hasn't called me an _idiot,_ all day."

Gibbs sighed and put down the file, finally looking up to Dinozzo from his chair. "And what did you want me to do about it, Tony?"

Tony sighed and began to say something when his eyes happened to wander by the clock and notice the time. Breaking into a grin he gently slapped Gibbs on the shoulder. "Tell her it's time to go." Tony raised his eyebrows in "whoops" fashion. Gibbs furrowed his brow and widened his eyes with Tony's slap on the back, looking up to him in disbelief. He reached up a hand, but before Gibbs could slap the back of the younger agent's head, Tony leapt away and danced towards his desk. Hardly stopping to shut down his computer, he grabbed his coat and headed for the elevator. Tony bowed to his colleagues in the middle of the bullpen before racing between the closing elevator doors.

Gibbs gently grumbled and shook his head, about to pick up the file on his desk when his eyes drifted over to Kate. Unmoving and unaware, she sat in her chair, leaning forward with her elbows on the desk and her hand by her mouth, gazing at the computer screen. Gibbs took note of her empty stare and the gentle biting of her thumbnail before he called to her:

"Kate... _Kate_." When she didn't answer, he slowly got up from his chair and strolled over to her desk, hands deep in his pockets. He slid one fist out of his trouser pocket and softly rapt his knuckles against her desk to get her attention, "… Kate?"

Kate's eyes finally fluttered from her haze and shot up to his face. "Mmm? Yeah, Gibbs?"

He considered her thoughtfully before he nodded over to the clock. "Time to go.." he said softly, continuing to watch her intently.

Kate looked over to the clock, and then looked down, bobbing her head in the affirmative and moving around random papers about her desk. "Just have a couple more things to do, Gibbs." She looked up to him and smiled softly before looking back down to a file they had closed a week ago.

His eyebrows twitched in worry before he took a few steps inside her cubicle, leaning against her desk with his hands bracing him from behind.

"You haven't been _doing_ much of anything for the past three hours now, Kate." His voice was soft and rough, but knit with concern, not admonishment. When Kate looked down and away from him, he ducked his head down enough to catch her eye. "What's wrong?"

Kate looked up to him with her mouth slightly open, slightly moving as if on the verge of speech, while her eyes wavered on the verge of tears. She quickly closed her mouth, firmly pressing her lips together and shaking her head. Her tiny hand brushed against his as she reached for her purse, but his strong fingers wrapped around her wrist. Her nostrils flared as her dark eyes slightly widened, looking to him in her vain attempt to stave off the tears that welled in her eyes.

"Hey…" Gibbs murmured in confusion, raising a hand to her shoulder while a single tear slid down her reddening cheek. She looked down and inhaled softly but sharply, quietly choking back a sob. Kate closed her eyes and slowly lifted her head. Her lips twitched when she felt his warm, weathered palm cup her cheek, wiping away the tear with his thumb.

Her hand covered his, gently running her fingertips over the back of his hand, wrapping around his wrist and giving him a squeeze. Kate swallowed as she brought both their hands to their sides, letting go of him after a long moment. She reached around his body, taking her purse and shrugging on her winter coat. She looked to him. Looked at him as he watched her. She ran her hand from his shoulder to his elbow, before lightly squeezing his forearm. She licked her lips, forcing a faint smile to accompany her low, shaky voice, "See you tomorrow, Gibbs."

Before Gibbs could recover a decent train of thought, the elevator doors whooshed close with Kate behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: thank you for the reviews :) read on and enjoy. _

--- 2 ---

Kate's hand shook as she blindly stabbed at the ground floor elevator button with her thumb. A weak grumble escaped her when the elevator didn't move. She slammed all the elevator buttons with the side of her tightened fist, letting out a sharp cry of frustration. She almost lost it when not only did the elevator remain still, but the doors re-opened. Kate clutched her heavy coat closed as she looked up in panic.

Gibbs stepped to stand on the threshold, holding both hands against the elevator doors to keep them from closing upon him. He looked her over momentarily before stepping completely inside of the elevator as the doors whooshed close once again.

He stood with his back to the rear of the elevator, glancing at her sideways and seeing her slightly trembling hands. As he went to lean over to press the ground floor button, he saw nearly all the floors were lit. Gibbs raised an eyebrow and looked over to her.

"You pressed them all?"

"I _slammed_ them all." She spoke low, almost inaudible had he not been standing as close as he was. He nodded vaguely and returned his eyes to the shining silver of the elevator doors, linking his hands loosely behind his back.

Kate closed her eyes and counted the seconds, praying for the silence to continue between them. Praying that she could keep the tears in her eyes and the sobs from deep in her chest; her lungs began to burn before she realized she'd been holding her breath. She tried to push down the lightheadedness that edged into her mind, but she still felt herself sway.

Gibbs blinked while his eyes widened slightly at the sight of her body wavering to stay standing. He took a step behind her as his large hands took hold of her slender shoulders. He whispered hoarsely by her ear, making the very hairs on her neck take notice, "Kate?"

She whimpered inside her mind. She could keep a hold of herself, she could hold herself together as long as she didn't talk— as long as he didn't ask…

"What's going on?"

The elevator bell sounded, saving her from confessions and stories she wasn't ready to hear out loud again. She steadied herself and took a careful step away from him, landing her palm softly against his chest.

'I can't.. right now… I—" her soft staccato voice faded as she gently shook her head, loose tendrils of hair having fallen from her bun to hang in her face. Despite the shadows as she turned her head from him, he could see the hot tears that coursed down her flushed cheeks. He was rigid and stunned and completely immobile at the sight of her—at the sight of her breaking at the edges and tearing at the seams.

"I can't _do_ this again." Her throaty tone, while soft and low, was laced with an anger that he recognized. Desperation.

She gracefully stalked away from him, hurrying to her car. The loud, melodious clicking of her heels against the pavement jarred him from his bewilderment as he jogged to catch up with her. Gibbs quickly fell into stride with her, gently taking her elbow and guiding her across the aisle and away from her car. The shake had fallen from her voice:

"What are you doing." She quirked brusquely, but continued to walk with him.

"You're not driving." Gibbs spoke matter-of-factly, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow in light emphasis; his eyes stayed focused on his sedan.

"What? What do you mean '_I'm not driving'_?? I have to go home, Gibbs. You know _home_, don't you, Gibbs?" she spat sarcastically as she slowed her pace and began to turn, pulling her elbow from his grasp— unsuccessfully. His hand moved up her arm while his fingers wrapped around her bicep. He invaded her personal space by bringing her into his own. He hovered over her, his face dangerously close. Kate swallowed and her eyes glassed over with teary uncertainty while she waited for him to pounce or dodge. Another tearful hiccup sounded from the back of her throat as their close gazes fought with one another.

"I know home. I'm _bringing_ you there." He whispered gruffly, his breath heavily laced with mint and strong coffee. He lifted her arm between them, bringing attention to her shaking hands, "I just don't want you to **crack up** your car. That _okay_ with you?" His voice was firm, and even though the sound of him made a few extra tears slip from the corner of her eyes, she knew he was right.

She tore her eyes away from his, shutting them tight with her face downcast, faintly bobbing her head in silent agreement. Gibbs could feel her stop pulling from the hold he had on her. He swallowed when he saw her shoulders go limp, unsure of how far he went with her— unsure of how far he should take her. He took a breath and sighed it out, "C'mon Kate.." looking down as he took her shoulders in his hands, he guided her to the sedan.

Gibbs gently bundled her into the passenger's seat, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over her stocking-clad legs. He remained lowered at her side, sitting on his heels as he watched her. She stared at her hands that lay loosely in her lap, breathing deep and slow— she sat simply, vaguely determined not to let another tear fall across her already dampened cheek. He fought the urge to brush away the strands of hair that fell in her face. He fought the need to rub a reassuring hand down her thigh. He settled for a friendly compromise as he raised his hand to her shoulder, squeezing it firmly before rising to his feet.

After Gibbs closed her door, she gently leaned her head against the cold glass of the passenger window. She pressed her cheek against the frost, mentally willing her already-swelling cheeks to calm down. Kate sighed with a strange comfort when she felt the slight dip the car made when Gibbs got in. After shutting the door firmly behind him, he started the sedan and settled for her silence the entire ride—something for which she was grateful. _I'll have to tell him that_, she thought hazily, as her eyes drooped closed.

--------------------------

_Ahhh suspense's a bitch :) _


	3. Chapter 3

--- 3 ---

Kate felt a sharp chill drift over her, burning her cheeks and sending a shiver through her insides. She fuzzily opened her eyes to find Gibbs: stooping down and leaning over her into the car, his arm over her waist with an innocently wandering hand in search of her belt buckle. Close and face to face, Gibbs noticed her open eyes and held her stare.

"Morning." He murmured before he looked back down to her waist, grunting in satisfaction as he finally released her seat belt.

Kate sighed and looked away, peering over his shoulder. She was immediately confused with the realization that she didn't recognize where they were at all. "Gibbs..." her voice was uncertain and scolding; her breath spread over his cheek before he ducked back out of the car.

"Don't start." He stood upright and held his hand to her, offering a helpful lift from the car— which she reluctantly accepted.

Her voice cracked slightly under his gaze, "Gibbs, I just wanted to go _home_..." she exhaled soft and shaky as she slipped her hand from his and wrapped her arms tighter around her middle. Kate watched as Gibbs closed the car door and dug in his pockets for his house keys. She slowly followed him up the front walk towards his house.

"I don't know where you _live_, Kate... and, this was just easier." He looked over to her as they walked.

Kate kept her eyes on the ground and lightly shook her head. "You know all our files cover to cover, and you don't know where I live?" her soft and skeptical voice made the corner of his mouth lift.

As they reached the front porch, Gibbs raised his key to the lock, smirking slightly, "Just because I _happen_ to know your address.. doesn't mean I know how to get there." He spoke soft and calm before taking a glance in her direction.

Kate gave a reluctant nod, not looking towards him as she tiredly rubbed her eye with two finely manicured fingers. She slid her hand to the back of her neck, absently rubbing her stiff muscles as she waited for him to open the door.

As they stepped inside, Gibbs dropped his keys onto a small foyer table while taking off his coat and easily stealing hers, quietly walking away from her to deposit them in some undisclosed location. As soon as he left, her logical, professional mind kicked in; what was she even doing here? Her head swam in her own rational rants and commands of going home, calling a cab, asking her oddly receptive boss to take her home. As she began slowly walking through his house without him, taking in the warm smells and homey sights that intuitively made her want to hang around, her emotional mind begged and cried for her to stay.

Kate found herself in front of a stone fireplace in the living room, the mantle covered in picture frames and a small clear crystal vase of flowers. With her arms hugged tightly around herself, she scanned the faces that looked back at her from their glass encasements; most she didn't recognize, but her eyes squinted before growing warmer when she spotted a photograph of the team from last year's holiday party. They were all squeezed in, tightly-knit and family-like, and she and Gibbs were in the center of the chaos. She smiled at the memory of having finally convinced him to come.

Her eyes then fell to a small picture off to the side of the team's photo: a photograph that was older than the rest and torn at the edges. The woman had Gibbs' warm stare, the slight crinkle that painted the corners of her eyes, and the faint smirk that Kate would just simply recognize anywhere.

She hadn't realized that she had taken the photograph down from the mantle until she felt the hardwood floorboards creak beside her. Quickly turning her head to find Gibbs slightly behind her but close at her side, she went to put the small frame back in its place on the mantle.

"Sorry, I didn't—" she began to backtrack and apologize for touching his things— she was well aware of the high value he placed on privacy, and the secret life that she often felt he had. He gently brushed his fingers against her hand, grazing her wrist softly with his thumb as he took the frame in both of his hands, gazing down affectionately. Instead of joining him in some far-off reminisce that she couldn't truthfully be a part of, she watched his face.

He gingerly put the picture back in its place and smiled sadly. "My mother," he explained before looking to Kate, "a long time ago."

She nodded and looked away to the careful stonework of the fireplace, "You look like her," she commented quietly.

Gibbs was silent for a few moments before nodding in agreement, keeping his voice soft and low, "I do." His hands nervously dove into the comfort of his pockets. "She passed away a few years ago." Gibbs nodded, as if in an attempt to convince himself.

There was a small change in her posture, a subtle shift of her stance and a fidget of fingers as she was suddenly unsure of what to do with her hands. She swallowed and bowed her head slightly, "I'm so sorry, Gibbs…" Her voice was gentle and quiet, and he knew that she meant it. Kate turned her head towards him and then back to the fireplace.

He allowed a subtle glance towards her and nodded again, "She was pretty sick," he exhaled, "for long while."

Kate did the simple math in her head and spoke again:

"I knew you a few years ago.. you didn't tell anyone..." The question was there, but she already knew the answer. "I never would've known." Her voice was thick with honest sympathy and a peculiar sense of wonder— she turned her face to him once again, her arms crossed safely against her chest and her eyes slightly widened.

Gibbs cleared his throat and nodded, looking down, "Yeah.. well. You do what you have to do."

He slid his hands from his pockets and matched her stance, folding his arms over his chest and tilting his head slightly, murmuring to himself. "I guess I made my peace with it a long time ago."

She turned her entire body to face him. "And how'd you do that?"

Gibbs slowly snapped out of a painful reverie and looked up to her, his eyes tenderly smiling while his mouth drew up into a sad, lighthearted smirk.

"The boat," he nodded, "and a lot of time.. and a..." he paused and chuckled weakly, "lot of drinking." He watched her with a sad smile that passed across his lips.

She couldn't look at him— couldn't yet bring herself to look into the face that she found so captivatingly reassuring, so comforting. Kate visibly swallowed before quirking her eyebrows and tilting her head to one side. Her mouth formed a wavering mix, some place between a smirk and a frown; a saddened expression that allowed her to smile feebly. She brought her arms closer to her chest as she began faintly nodding, swallowing the lump in her throat that threatened to overwhelm her. Finally daring a glance to his eyes, the corners of her mouth tugged again, unsure of whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Her eyes began to quiver under the threat of more tears while her sad smile fought and stood firm.

"Well..." she drawled slowly, looking down to his chest and then back up to his eyes, "I don't know about you, but…"

Gibbs easily made out the slight break in her voice, the wetness that began to leak and stain the corners of her eyes; she held his gaze, but could no longer keep the hushed tremor from her voice as she nodded a determined confirmation, whispering, ".. but I think I need a drink."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: The next chapter will be a back chapter-- so you will find out what happened. I promise :) As for now, on with the show.  
_

--- 4 ---

Kate kept herself upright expertly, sitting loosely on the workbench with her hands behind her, propping her up; her legs freely swinging back and forth like a child. Her skirt got hitched up around the middle of her thighs in the tangled mess of her efforts to get onto the bench in the first place.

What was left of the bun in her hair fell out 3 drinks ago as her long bangs brushed against her forehead and hung in her eyes. Her face was flushed and her eyes were red, but her crying had ended 2 drinks ago. She stared at the bottle that Gibbs held limp in his hands, sitting across from her on a tall metal stool. Kate broke their hazed silence.

"I don't like getting," she paused for a hiccup, "drunk." She said to him softly and slightly slurred.

Gibbs smirked. "Well," he perked his eyebrows in mild amusement, "You're really pretty good at it." He looked to the glass that she held to him, silently asking him for a refill.

Gibbs wasn't nearly as drunk as she was, if you could consider him being drunk at all—he matched her drink for drink, but he could hold it, whereas Kate's small frame… not so much. He'd admit that he was somewhat impressed with her ability to keep up; when he offered her a beer, she asked what else he had. But now, he was together enough to know when she'd had enough; beginning to feel a slight surge of guilt for allowing her to match his drinking pace.

He slid off the stool and put the bourbon back in its place next to the paint thinner and rubbing alcohol.

"C'mon, Kate. You're done." He said firmly, sidled back over to her, standing in front of her and placing a gentle hand on the side of her thigh.

She slowly put her glass back down onto the workbench as her eyes grew slightly narrow. "_Don't_.. you tell-me when-I'm-done…" she slurred gracefully.

Gibbs cocked his head slightly, gazing at her in a hazy, thoughtful scrutiny. He reached out the hand that had rested on her leg, and placed it on her shoulder, gently and methodically rubbing, soothing the skin of her exposed collarbone with his thumb. She closed her eyes and sighed, nodding:

"I'm drunk."

Gibbs chuckled low and light, deep in his chest before he placed both hands on her hips, preparing to hoist her off the workbench— not wanting an instant replay of her disastrous attempts of getting on to the wooden counter.

"C'mon Katie.." he murmured softly as he carefully influenced her body to follow his, lifting her hips slightly and edging her towards the ledge of the counter. She was complying, until the hand she had placed on Gibbs' shoulder pulled him towards her, slightly putting him off balance. His upper body stumbled forward, towards the workbench, his hands skirting out in front of him onto the wood, landing beside Kate's hips in order to keep him from landing on her. Gibbs had her provocatively pinned to the bench.

Her mouth was by his neck as her lips accidentally grazed his ear. He pulled back from her slightly, far enough to look to her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked her quietly. She nodded slowly.

Her hand went to the side of his neck to steady her posture. As he nodded before he pulled back from her completely, Kate leaned into him, softly pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth. He stilled immediately, but she didn't falter. She slid her lips flush over his, moving her hand to his cheek as she softly drew his bottom lip between both of hers, vaguely skating the tip of her tongue against his lip. She focused her intimate attention on his entire mouth when she pressed her lips against his, at the same time drawing him back towards her. A murmured moan escaped her as her drunken inner-self smiled in triumph when she felt him kiss her back. Even if it was only for a second.

Gibbs slowly pulled away from her mouth, standing upright and looking to her, bewildered, as he tried to sort out in his slightly bourbon laced brain, what had just occurred. Kate placed a hand on his chest.

"I'm okay." She slurred, finishing their conversation from 5 minutes ago. He faltered slightly before he nodded and brought his hands back to her hips, deftly lifting her from the workbench and placing her feet on the ground. He walked behind her, keeping one hand on her hip and the other squeezing her shoulder to keep her steady and standing.

"Time for bed?" she asked, soft and innocent, turning her head to look to him as they reached the stairs.

"Yep." Gibbs nodded and placed a firm hand at the small of her back, carefully guiding her up the cellar steps.

She turned her head towards him, throwing a goofy grin over her shoulder, "With yooou?" she cooed and chuckled drunkenly, her grin spread when she saw him smirk and duck his head. But when he looked up again, the smirk was gone and his eyebrow was softly raised. She turned her face back to the task at hand.

"Get moving." He mumbled quietly. Once she was turned again he opened his mouth in a smile, gently shaking his head as he closely watched her place one foot in front of the other. 


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Oh cats and kittens, ask and you shall receive :) within reason of course... thank you all for the reviews, i love them. and i hope you enjoy :) and maybe a few more little reviews :D _

--- 5 ---

After the smooth journey up the cellar steps, Gibbs imagined getting Kate upstairs to the bedroom would quite simply be a piece of cake. But once they got into the kitchen, her body didn't seem to want to cooperate with Gibbs' intentions: her feet began to slightly slide out from under her, her knees shook, buckling several times, and she tripped over herself more than once. But of course Kate thought it was quite possibly the funniest thing— in the entire world. Paying no attention to Gibbs' words of caution, she snickered uncontrollably as she leaned against the threshold dividing the hall and the kitchen, slowly sliding her way to the floor.

Her eyes widened and her deep giggling quelled when she felt two strong arms come from behind and wrap around her middle, gently tugging her upright.

"Theeere we go." Gibbs exhaled quietly when he had her standing on her own two feet. He ducked his chin into the crook of her neck and whispered by her ear, "C'mon… half way there, Katie."

To this, Kate let out a soft, drunken groan which quickly turned into a soft giggle as she put her hands over his, resting on her stomach. He led her to the bottom of their next flight of stairs and nodded towards the second floor,

"Think you can make it?" he huffed slightly as he repositioned his arms around her to get a better grip on her small, swaying frame.

"I, uhm… Mmm.." Kate murmured before she placed one foot on the first wooden step, successfully. Gibbs slid his arms from around her waist until his hands were steadying her hips; he let out a small, premature sigh of relief at her ability to tackle the stairs. She didn't quite make the second step though, as her footing failed her miserably; slipping and landing hard on the steps, onto her hands and knees.

"_Bastard_…" she hissed, which again turned into a deep, syrupy chuckle. Gibbs swiftly turned her over, having her sit on the step and face him. He scanned her hastily before looking to her closed eyes and ignoring her snickers.

"You alright?"

She nodded with a slowly spreading silly grin on her face. He furrowed his brow and frowned at her as he brought them both to stand— being eye to eye with her as she was standing on the third step and him on the floor.

"… What?" he grumbled.

She poked his chest lightly and tipped her head. "You're a… you're a _good_ guy. Leroy.. Jethro, Gibbs." She lazily drew out his name and chuckled. "Leroy.." she repeated his first name in amused pontification before she grinned at him.

Gibbs paused and looked at her. "...Yer never drinking my bourbon." He mumbled lightly under his breath as he turned his back to her and slightly crouched down, taking her hands and snaking her arms around his neck. He turned his head towards Kate, looking to her over his shoulder, "C'mon. Get on, let's go," he sighed.

Kate snickered and climbed onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist as he slid one hand behind him to steady her hip and the other hand held onto one of her arms. He stopped to readjust her grip around his neck, so he could breathe accordingly. Gibbs turned and embarked upon the stairs again.

Kate sleepily laid her cheek against the back of his head with a sigh as she gently tightened her legs around his waist. He quietly cleared his throat at the subtle pressure she constricted and continued up the stairs.

Just when he believed she had fallen asleep, he heard and felt her humming.

"Mmmhmmm mmm mmm… Laa la la laa. La la laaa." He felt Kate smile. "Turnit'up, turn it up.. little bit higher.. _radio_… turn it up.. turn it up.. so y'know, radio—"

Gibbs got to the top of the stairs and turned his head slightly towards her. "Wait. I'm sorry, are you _singing…_?" She snickered mixed with a few more "la la's" in response. His lips quirked.

"You're on my back and drunk. Singing Van Morrison." He shook his head and shuffled down the hall. "Wonderful." He murmured.

Finally reaching their destination, he hauled her over to the bed— his back towards the side of the bed, he leaned back slightly and gently dropped her onto the mattress. Her arms were gone from around his neck, but he looked down to see that her legs were still firmly attached to his body. He raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes as he slid his hands from her knees, down her stocking'ed calves to her feet, disentangling himself.

Gibbs turned to look down at her: partially sprawled out on his bed, chest rising and falling with increasingly sleepy breaths. He picked up her legs that were dangling off the edge and placed them onto the bed before sliding his hands around her waist and hoisting her up further on the bed. With her head securely on a pillow, he ran a hand over her hair that splayed across the dark grey pillowcase. Leaning over and grabbing the other edge of the comforter, he brought it over and sandwiched her between the bedspread; tucking her in and running a hand down her blanket-covered hip. He looked to her face to see her watching him under hooded lids, the pained expression in her eyes revealing her slowly sobering. Her low, shaky voice threatened to claw at his heart.

"Thank you…" she wet her lips, taking a deep breath and drowsily sighing it out. He paused for a moment before leaning over her and pressing a soft, warm kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin as he murmured,

"Sleep, Kate."

She seemed to comply immediately as she slowly closed her eyes— he remained at the side of the bed and watched her until her breathing evened out. Gibbs exhaled softly as he quietly retreated to a large armchair a few feet away from her, lowering himself into it with another sigh. He ran his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes and then raking his fingers back into his hair. He looked over at Kate with a slightly raised, thoughtful brow, and eyes filled with the love and concern that consumed him. Gibbs leaned back in the armchair, bringing a thoughtful hand to his mouth as he propped his elbow up on the arm of the overstuffed recliner. He couldn't erase the sadness on her face that had steadily etched itself into a deep crevice in his mind.

-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-

"_Well… I don't know about you but… but I think I need a drink."_

He remembered the muddled emotions that clouded her moistening, dark eyes, but he'd never forget the slight tremor in her voice and the faint quiver that flashed across her face. One of hurt and grief, one that wasn't just a part of the present, but the kind of ache and anguish that lived in a person's past. He knew it all too well, which let him recognize it immediately.

He took a step closer to her, tilting his head to one side and creasing his brow with an open concern and confusion that wound up becoming her undoing. It was her shoulders. Her shoulders were the first to break down, as they heaved as she began to silently sob. She looked up to the ceiling as her face broke next; frowning and raising her eyebrows to try to keep herself in check a little longer until she squeezed her eyes tight, her mouth opening ever so slightly in a hushed inhale.

Gibbs remembered having to close the gap between them, advancing on her quickly in order to keep her from hitting the floor—her knees were the next in line to be broken. They buckled as she slumped against him, softly clawing and balling her fists in his shirt. She cried openly into his chest, her tears slowly spreading in a wet expanse over the cotton of his white dress shirt. Gibbs guided her down to the floor, sitting with her in front of the cold fireplace, having her instinctively crawl into his lap and hang onto him in hopes of keeping herself afloat.

His confusion was almost overwhelming— he didn't quite know what to do with her, and still had no idea what had shaken her to the core. What had the ability to break her down into a sobbing mess and tangle of what was Kate Todd. He almost worked up enough nerve to ask, when she saved him from having to— her cries quieted down to light sobs and sniffles as she allowed the hot tears to continue to unabashedly stream down her face in rivers. She was comfortable enough to not pull away, to not wipe at her eyes and clear her throat and excuse herself for being scared, for being sad, for being human. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and looked to her hand that was still balled up in the material of his shirt—she loosened her grip and smoothed her hand over his chest.

"My mom," she whispered hoarsely and nodded her head vaguely, "she's sick, too.. again. Gibbs.." she cried, "I just... I can't—" she inhaled sharply and chewed at her lip, turning her face into his chest, hiding and attempting to calm another tidal wave.

Gibbs closed his eyes with a flickering grimace of painful understanding and placed his chin lightly on top of her head, tucking her neatly into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arm around her more snugly, while bringing his other hand to cup the back of her head. He held her firm against him— she needed an anchor. And if he could be nothing else, he could be that for her.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: We're drawing to a close.. maybe one more chapter.. maybe a sequel... votes are still being tallied ;) Well, not really. _

_But you can vote if you'd like to... which means... giving me feedback :D Such a sneaky sneak, I am..._

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--- 6 ---

His elbow slipped off the arm of the chair, his head falling slightly from his palm, startled when he heard a soft, sharp cry resonate through the inclusive darkness of his room— it snapped him away from the shallow sleep he had accidentally fallen into. Gibbs swallowed several times, running a groggy hand over his face to jog his memory of why exactly he wasn't sleeping in the immense comfort of his bed— and then he remembered Kate.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the blackness that engulfed the bedroom, making out the outline of her form on the bed. By her movements he could tell she was still asleep, but not peacefully. Gibbs got up slowly and made his way over to the side of the bed, lightly sitting next to her restless body, nestled in his sheets. He wet his lips, debating whether or not to wake her when she let out a muffled whimper into his pillow.

"Oh, Katie.." he sighed to himself as he leaned over her a little, reaching his hand around to rub delicate circles on her back. To his grateful surprise, she began to steadily calm down with every slow stroke and movement of his hand.

Gibbs paused for a moment before making a quick decision— he carefully climbed over her, his hand never leaving her back, and got into bed behind her. He restrained himself from murmuring words of comfort into the back of her neck; he restrained himself from rubbing his hand up her back and squeezing her shoulder, her hip, or her side; he kept his actions to the focused, vital, fragile task of circle-rubbing.

The steady movement of his own hand began to lull him into his own fuzzy trance— right before drifting to sleep beside her, he felt her scoot back towards him; the smooth arch of her back warmly melting against his cotton-covered stomach and chest, effortlessly erasing the small space that he had respectfully left between them.

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Gibbs woke just before the sun began to rise, immediately reminded of his situation by the warm guest in his bed. He didn't move his head from her pillow as he peered down at her in hazy reflection. His conscience taunted both him _and_ his lack of professionalism. But his conscience was drowned out with the hum vibrating through his body when she shifted against him, mumbling something inaudible and ducking her head into his chest— as Kate had turned in his arms at some point during the night. Gibbs carefully moved his hand down her back, resting his arm on her waist rather than her ribcage. Blinking in his own uncertainty, his eyes shifted over her head before he slowly looked back down to her sleeping form. He gently pressed his hand against the middle of her back, his fingers splayed casually across her spine— with this small act, he began to reconsider getting up before she woke; he reconsidered erasing the evidence of his unusual, intimate presence and his equally intimate gestures. Gibbs exhaled and relaxed once more against the mattress, allowing his eyes to slip shut for another small, welcome stretch of sleep, flexing his tired fingers against her back.

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Kate woke in a dim fog of thinning alcohol and unfamiliar surroundings. She warily kept her eyes shut when a rage of roaring thunder pulsed through her head; she slowly raised her hand to her creased brow in a whimper and a groan. She wet her chapped lips, running a lethargic hand down her face and slowly opened her puffy eyes, only to look into a sleeping, familiar face. And then she fully remembered Gibbs— and, almost, everything else that went along with him.

Her heart sank and rose all at once, another tidal wave hitting her waking consciousness. She remembered the kiss she had expertly planted on him, and she remembered being strangely proud of it— even if she probably should have wanted to leave it drunken and forgotten. Her breath caught in her throat. She remembered the tears and why she cried them— why she cried them all over Gibbs. Her heart hummed lightly in her chest with the blurry thoughts of how he looked after her. He let her cry it out, he let her drink it up, he let her sleep it off. Her heart was still heavy with an awful weight that began to send her into a silent, festering panic attack that surged up from the pit of her stomach; but when her thoughts came back around to his atypical, overt kindness.. she suddenly became overwhelmed in an entirely different way. One that she couldn't begin to express in any amount of tangible thought. So she only did what her gut told her to— and she would only, probably, blame it on the ebbing alcohol that was finishing its course through her veins.

Kate leaned into him and pressed her soft lips against his sleeping mouth as chastely as she could control. She smiled inwardly at a sleeping Gibbs who kissed her back. The encounter bordered on that fine line between platonic love and something more. She pulled back from him before he opened his eyes, his brow furrowed in drowsy confusion at her extreme closeness. He managed a slow, heavy-eyed, brief sweep of her tiny form before locking his gaze with hers. Their stares mixed and melted together as Kate gave his upper arm a squeeze, and flashed him a vague smile that was tinted with the faintest hint of anguish and sadness. She slipped out of bed before he even had the time to wonder whether the kiss had been just another fading blur of his frequent dreams of her.

"Hey…" he spoke hoarsely, his voice thick with sleep and calling for her to stop moving around. Gibbs slowly sat up in bed, rubbing his face and watching her nervous movements intently.

She was bent over at the foot of the bed, balancing on one foot as she slipped her black pumps back onto her tiny feet. She looked up to him through a slight veil of mussed, chocolate hair while she switched to her other foot. "Yeah, Gibbs?"

He said nothing as he sat in a mess of blankets and sheets, steadily holding her eyes. She straightened back up and rubbed her hands over her thighs in a sudden burst of nervousness.

"You know, it's kinda late, Gibbs… we should—"

"I called you in." he croaked before clearing the sleep from his throat and looking down to his hands, creasing his brow as if in deep thought.

Kate paused and titled her head, her mouth quirked and her eyebrows rose in a flourish of puzzled surprise, "You did what..?"

He turned down the corners of his mouth and raised his brow in wistful consideration, nodding faintly. "Called myself in, too," he confessed lightly.

"What—? Wait, when?" Kate asked; her tone was one of disbelief rather than the typical annoyance she would have easily felt at such an imposition on her control. Her incomprehension was spread broadly across her features as she held a somewhat defiant hand on her hip. He looked up to her with a warm, calm expression of 'so what?'

"Does it matter?" he spoke softly, waiting for and trying to diffuse her potential knee-jerk reaction. He raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

Kate opened her mouth a little to respond, but faltered— looking away from his eyes and off to his shoulder, and then down to her shoes. She blinked rapidly, a few wisps of bangs catching on her eyelashes as her hair hung in her face. She lifted her hands from her sides in a gesture of "whatever..."

"Guess not…" she said softly.

He continued to watch her; gently scrutinizing her hesitant body language, digesting the slightest change of her facial expressions, cataloging the beauty of every feature that he could safely get away with staring at openly.

"I kissed you." She blurted out and breaking their strain infused silence in spite of herself, loosely clasping her hands in front of her. Gibbs nodded slowly as she brought her eyes back up to his.

"I know." He rumbled lightly, his eyebrow only slightly lifting.

Kate kept faintly nodding her head. "Twice." She added after a short silence, her voice dripping with a strange sense of poise.

Confusion flickered across his face before realization dawned that he hadn't in fact been dreaming when he woke up moments before. Gibbs watched as she calmly rocked on the balls of her feet, noticing that she had already toed out of her shoes. Kate took a tentative step towards the bed, and then another. The bed dipped a little when she sat heavily on the edge of the mattress, staring blankly at his hands.

"Do you think I… that I could stay with you, Gibbs.." Her eyes flitted quickly back up to his face. "Today. Since we're both…" she shrugged slightly, "… off.."

Gibbs blinked slowly and bobbed his head. "You could do that. Sure.." In a gesture of doubt, he swiped his fingers across his bottom lip before catching her eye again, "Do you.. want to.. _talk_… or—?" He enigmatically held her gaze for as long as she could handle the intimate contact before she looked down.

She shook her head. "Not.. yet. Not now…" She looked back up to him, and her eyes simultaneously apologized and expressed a heartfelt gratitude. Kate noticed that the concern seemed to be permanently etched in the slight creases at the corners of his eyes. He nodded, simply communicating his understanding.

A steady silence surrounded them once more before she spoke again— she swallowed heavily before her lips quirked in uncertainty, speaking with a somewhat staged coolness, "I don't think I can be sorry, Gibbs.. for kissing you."

He tilted his head and looked off past her shoulder, carefully regarding her statement and rolling it around in his head. He paused and exhaled slowly as he brought his attentive stare back to her eyes.

"Who's asking you to..?"

Her mouth opened and closed several times without a sound before she resolved to leave the question unanswered. She looked down to her feet that dangled off the bed and flexed her toes thoughtfully before she began rubbing her hands determinedly from her waist and over her thighs. Gibbs furrowed his brow as he watched her, confusingly fascinated with whatever it was she was doing. When he saw the waist band of her stockings materialize below the hem of her skirt, the corners of his lips tugged upward of their own volition as he ducked his head. Kate slid the stockings down her thighs, past her calves, and plucked them from her feet. She looked over to him, seeing him smirk as she balled up her pantyhose and tossed it carelessly to the floor.

"What? You try wearing stockings for 24 hours.. sleeping in them.." her sentence ending in a hushed grumble.

Gibbs smiled and chuckled softly, looking down to his hands and bobbing his head in quiet acknowledgment. He looked back up again when he felt more of her weight on the bed. Kate crawled back underneath the covers and shimmied down the bed until her head hit the pillow. She turned onto her side to face him, her elbow propped up on the bed, her cheek in the palm of her hand.

"When was the last time you slept past 9am, Gibbs?" she lazily mumbled, her big, dark eyes looking up to his from the pillow.

His eyes flashed and smiled before he looked up to the ceiling in thought, nodding, "I slept 'til 10am once." Kate smiled sweetly.

"Wanna break a record?" she murmured.

Gibbs paused before lying back down next to her, putting his hands behind his head and teasingly mumbling under his breath, "It's your day off.. if that's whatcha wanna do with it..." His voice trailed off, conceding to her desire for more sleep.

She smiled lightly and rolled over, turning her back to him. His façade of indifference fell as he looked over to her with peaked eyebrows and a reflective gaze. Looking back up to the ceiling with a sigh that turned into a yawn, Gibbs felt her scoot back towards him again. He smiled as her back fit neatly against his side like his own little puzzle piece. He lifted his head slightly, removing the hand farthest from her and reached his arm across his body, delicately running an affectionate hand over the back of her head, his fingers smoothly raking through the dark, wavy locks that covered the back of her neck.

Her eyes remained open for a few minutes longer before she fell off to sleep again, the faint smile never once abandoning her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Ok... this is "the end." When I say the end.. it means the beginning of a sequel :) Which will be short, long, somewhere in the middle. --not written yet-- it calls for a sequel.. does it not:) Thanks for reading.. and sorry this is so short. But more to come... Happy almost Halloween :D _

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_"When was the last time you slept past 9am, Gibbs?"_

_"I slept 'til 10am once..."_

_Kate smiled sweetly. "Wanna break a record?" she murmured._

--- 7 ---

Gibbs woke up on his back, blinking slowly and staring at the ceiling as his fuzzy mind began to clear. The bed seemed to lack the warmth of the early morning, he noticed, slightly squinting his eyes from the sun that poured into the bedroom through the cracks in the blinds. Already knowing she wasn't there, he turned his head on the pillow— a subtle frown of complicated disappointment wrinkled his forehead when he saw it for himself; when he laid in silence and ached for his ears to hear some movement downstairs, but was only answered with the deep creaks and groans of an empty house. And he realized he wasn't just alone in the bed.

He sighed and put his hands behind his head, resuming his halfhearted inspection of the bedroom ceiling. After a few moments of vacant reflect, he sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed in one fluid motion, rubbing his rough hands over his face. He almost passed it over as he went to get up, but the cup of coffee that sat neatly on his bedside table caught his eye. Peaking from underneath the dark blue mug lay a white piece of note paper from a pad on Gibbs' kitchen counter.

He picked up the mug and the note in one breath, reading over Kate's neatly scribbled penmanship. The corner of his lip tugged up beyond his control.

_Congratulations, Gibbs… it's 10:04 :)  
**Thank** you._

_Love, Kate._

His smirk fell into a heartfelt little smile as his eyes helplessly meandered over the note— before he noticed the mug in his hand was still rather warm. He brought it to his lips to taste a reasonably hot cup of coffee. Good coffee. Strong coffee. His eyes perked up when he heard a car door slam out on the street. With coffee still in hand, he stiffly stood and walked over to the window— watching a yellow cab pull away from the curb in front of his driveway.

Gibbs looked back down to the small note in his large hand.

"_Love, Kate._" He mumbled.

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TBC.


End file.
